ARSENAL, Manchester United and Chelsea are all on red alert after Sporting Lisbon reluctantly accepted they will have to sell William Carvalho this summer.

All three clubs have been linked with a move for the Portuguese international this summer, with Arsenal reported to have made a £24m bid last month.

That offer was turned down with Sporting reportedly holding out for someone to meet the player's £37m release clause.

But it seems that Sporting's desire to cash in on the player could force their hand and cause them to sell for substantially less than that figure.

Reports in Portugal suggest that the Lisbon club want to sell Carvalho to raise cash for new signings.

Sporting Lisbon have agreed to sell William Carvalho

But with just a month left in the transfer window they now want Carvalho gone as soon as possible to be left with time to bring in replacements.

In particular it is thought that Sporting are not interested in a deal that will see them paid in instalments, as that would thwart their ability to reload on players, and a substantial discount could be negotiated for any club willing to pay a fee up front.

Arsenal have a reputation for preferring deals that are paid in that manner but it now remains to be seen whether Chelsea or United rekindle their interest in the wake of this development.